The Royal Australian Navy has hosted the 16th iteration of the Asia-Pacific submarine conference discussing submarine survivability, escape and interoperability of rescue assets.
The conference was conducted at the Western Australian Maritime Museum, in Fremantle from 19 to 21 September, with 53 representatives from 21 nations and agencies in attendance.
Established by Commander, Submarine Force, United States Pacific Fleet in the wake of the 2000 Kursk disaster, the annual forum is hosted on a rotational basis by selected submarine capable nations.
The three day event was chaired by Australian Director General Submarines, Commodore Peter Scott, and officially opened by Head Navy Capability, Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead .
“We are all here, bound and glued by a common cause – the safety of our sailors at sea,” Rear Admiral Mead said. “We take this opportunity to come here, cross pollinate ideas, learn from each other and essentially reduce the risk for our people.”
This year the conference was preceded by exercise Black Carillon 2016, the Royal Australian Navy’s annual submarine escape exercise. This was completed the week prior with some of the foreign observers who attended Black Carillon, also attending the conference.
Australia last hosted the Asia-Pacific submarine conference in 2004.